A pair of TIME Dealer of the Year Award nominees unofficially got their careers started at young age. One remembers he was 7, and another he says was 5. 

In the next group of nominee profiles, these store executives all share what’s important to them — in and out of the showroom.

The awards program, which is produced in cooperation with the National Automobile Dealers Association and sponsored by Ally Financial, aims to recognize the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

Auto Remarketing plans to publish these nominee profiles between now and when the winner is announced during the NADA Convention and Expo that runs Feb. 3 to 6 in Las Vegas.

Daniel Macdonald, President, Macdonald Motors, Bridgton, Maine

“I grew up in the business with my father starting the dealership after WWII in 1946,” Macdonald shared. “At 5 years old, I would tape the temp plates in the back window when customers took delivery at our home.”

A lifelong resident of Bridgton, Macdonald graduated from the local high school and earned his undergraduate and masters degrees in mathematics and administration from the University of Southern Maine, graduating in 1972. He was president of Tau Kappa Epsilon and on the dean’s list in graduate school.

“After college, I taught math for a short time at the Maine Correctional Institute before returning home to give the family business a fulltime try 39 years ago,” he commented.

Macdonald has worked in all positions at the store — from service writer and technician to parts manager — and today, Macdonald and his brother jointly own Macdonald Motors and a Ford, Lincoln dealership in Conway, N.H. His son and his niece are general managers at each facility. Macdonald Motors is a Chrysler Five Star dealership and has a high repeat sales and service clientele.

In the area of community service, Macdonald is a member of the Lions Club, Bridgton Chamber of Commerce and provides a representative to Lake Region High School’s Automotive Schools Advisory Board. He served as president of the Bridgton Revitalization Committee, a group that planed, designed, fundraised, oversaw and implemented a rebuilding plan for approximately one mile in the village. The plan replaced the road on Main Street and added new sidewalks and water system, upgraded the septic system, rebuilt the electrical and phone system, installed decorative lighting and built parks and a playground, along with a new town office/courthouse and police station.

This success was one of his most meaningful accomplishments. “My town’s infrastructure was deteriorating and downtown had many vacant buildings which led to a less than desirable business climate,” Macdonald explained. “We designed, funded and rebuilt Main Street, creating a business-friendly atmosphere to fill the vacant buildings and create jobs for our local people.”

Hoot McInerney, president, Star Lincoln, Southfield, Mich.

McInerney’s career in the car business began back in 1936, when he was just 7 years old. For 50 cents a week, he would sweep the floors and stoke the coal furnace to keep the building warm over the weekends.  He loved being around people and cars, developing a passion for the business that is still with him today.

McInerney bought the first of an eventual 22 dealerships in 1963 and today owns six dealerships throughout Southeast Michigan. McInerney says his dealerships have survived recent economic troubles by focusing on used car sales and increasing service department business. He also believes that he owes his success to treating others well.

Other than selling cars, McInerney’s other passion is helping others, especially children. He has received numerous awards for his efforts, including the March of Dimes Humanitarian Award and the Goodfellow of the Year Award. Hoot is also a generous donor to religious, educational, sports, health services and community service groups.

McInerney says his greatest reward is being fortunate enough to be in a position where he can give back to the community and serve others.

Mark McKie, co-owner, McKie Ford-Lincoln, Rapid City, S.D.

“I started working in my family’s automotive business in Sturgis, South Dakota, at a young age,” McKie recollected. “Although I started college, I knew I wanted to be in the car business and after a year of school I sought out employment that would assist me in reaching my goal.”

McKie, a 1977 graduate of Sturgis Brown High School in Sturgis, S.D., took a job as a credit manager in Rapid City to understand the finance side of the industry and then moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, to work at a Chevrolet dealership. In 1983, he returned to work at the dealership his father and uncle partly owned and today, he co- owns the store — as well as two other dealerships in Rapid City — with his cousin, Ross McKie and partner, Steve Kalkman. His son and daughter now work for the family enterprise.

McKie also finds it most rewarding to nurture the other members of his organization. “I enjoy watching our employees and their families prosper,” he noted. “They are leaders and contributors in our community as a part of schools, churches and service organizations. They are children, parents and grandparents who have a vital role in sustaining and growing our community.”

The civic achievement McKie is most proud of is his company’s relationship with the Black Hills Workshop, a local organization that provides services for mentally and physically disabled members of the community. “My wife and I have both held positions on the workshop board of directors,” he added. About 15 years ago, his dealership employees came up with a way to integrate the workshop’s participants into his staff and give them a true sense of worth and accomplishment. The in-house cleaning staff consists of a supervisor with seven men and women, all who have various disabilities and who are a vital part of his team. “Our cleaning staff does a fantastic job and serves as a constant reminder to me and our employees that you can overcome whatever life gives you,” McKie stated.

In the area of community service, McKie holds mobile blood drives at his dealership, donates to the local United Way campaign and encourages employees to volunteer for charitable projects. He is a member of the Rotary Club, United Way and Rapid City Chamber of Commerce.

Steve Middlebrooks, president, Heyward Allen Toyota, Athens, Ga.

“From my first day in the automobile business, I knew I wanted to be a dealer,” Middlebrooks insisted. “Working 39 years with the same organization has been exciting, rewarding and fulfilling.”

Middlebrooks was born and raised in Warwick, Ga., and worked his way through college as a retail sales representative. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1973 with cum laude honors. In his senior year, B. Heyward Allen, Sr. hired him to establish a finance & insurance department at Heyward Allen Motor Co. “As the young, energetic new kid, I would welcome additional duties and responsibilities,” Middlebrooks added, “which lead to my promotion as general sales manager within four years.”

The business expanded in 1991 to include the present Toyota franchise and in 1999, he bought a 49-percent interest in both dealerships and became the dealer and president, managing day-to-day operations. His son Wesley, also a University of Georgia graduate, has worked at the Heyward Allen Motor Co., dealership since age 16 and is now the general manager. “We measure our growth in sales, profit and growing our overall customer database — with a strong emphasis on employee and customer satisfaction,” Middlebrooks pointed out. The dealership has been named Best Automotive Dealership by the Athens Banner Herald in eight of the past nine years.

In the area of community service, Middlebrooks finds it most rewarding to invest in the youth of his community. In the 2006/2007 school year Heyward Allen contributed $1,000 to the public, private and Christian schools in Clarke and Oconee counties totaling $31,000. He’s also proud to donate truck loads of toys to the underprivileged, spearhead food drives for the needy and raise funds for homeless families.

In January, Middlebrooks will be one of the three honorees at the 13th Annual Athens American Values Program, receiving the Billy Hudson Distinguished Citizen Award as "one of Athens finest community citizens." He is currently on the University of Georgia Fellowship of Christian Athletes Chaplaincy Board and serving as chairman of counsel on ministries at Young Harris Memorial United Methodist Church.

Karen Miller, owner, Larry H. Miller Toyota Murray, Murray, Utah

“All of the awards that I have received were possible because of the success of our companies that began with a single Toyota dealership in Murray, Utah,” Miller stressed. “We now provide meaningful work to more than 4,000 full-time and more than 3,000 part-time employees in 16 states.”

Miller is a Salt Lake City native. She worked at Mountain Bell Phone Co. as an information officer and service assistant manager before moving with her husband, Larry H., and their family to Colorado so her husband could pursue a career in the automotive industry. In 1979, they returned to Salt Lake City to launch their own business, and Larry H. Miller Toyota in Murray, Utah, was born. Today, the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies operates 18 different automotive brands under 44 dealerships in seven western states.

“From its start as a single-dealership operation, the business has grown over the past 32 years into one of the largest privately owned group of companies in the nation,” said Miller who has played a significant role in the success and development of the business.

Karen Gail Miller has received numerous awards and honors for her philanthropic work. She is most proud of the Co-Entrepreneur of the Decade award she received in 2010 from Mountain West Capital Network because, she says, “The entire Larry H. Miller Group of Companies and its 77 core businesses were founded on the premise of free enterprise and entrepreneurship.”

As trustor of the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation, she oversees an organization that benefits religious, scientific, literary and educational initiatives within the U.S. In addition, Larry H. Miller Charities is a nonprofit foundation, supporting children’s health and education programs

Miller believes in giving back to her employees, too. “An additional benefit we are able to provide to all fulltime employees who have been with the company for more than two years is college tuition and books for their children so that they can earn their undergraduate degrees and become productive members of society,” she explained. “Over the past 15 years, we have assisted more than 3,000 students.”

More nominee profiles can be found at allybizhero.com.